WILLEMSTAD - The government and public-sector unions will meet again tomorrow to discuss the long-awaited reform of civil service salaries. The unions have been pressing for clarity since August, when consultancy firm Deloitte first presented its proposals.

Unions say they still do not know which underlying documents the government is using to justify the reform plans. On 25 August, they were given only a brief outline of the new salary structure. When they requested the full supporting documentation, the Ministry refused. According to the Ministry, the documents form part of the Landspakket and are therefore confidential.

This lack of transparency prompted the unions to request an additional meeting with the minister. They argue that, without access to the underlying analysis, they cannot adequately assess what the proposals really mean for civil servants.

Higher Salaries for Top Positions

The reform plan primarily targets increases for higher-level positions. The government says the goal is to attract specialized professionals who are currently difficult to recruit. A key element is the formalization of salary scale 18—a pay level that some senior officials already receive, even though the current legal salary system officially stops at scale 17.

Unions argue that the proposal violates the 2014 GOA salary agreement. That agreement stipulates that a new salary system must be “open”, meaning no fixed salary steps but rather a minimum and maximum salary per scale. Deloitte’s presentation, however, still uses the traditional step-based model.

CGOA Meeting Scheduled for Friday

A regular meeting of the Central Government Consultation Body (CGOA) is also scheduled for Friday. The meeting was originally set for 6 November but was postponed by Minister Lew-Jen-Tai due to other commitments.

Items on the agenda include:

Revision of the civil servants’ pension law 

New standards for sick leave 

A letter from former minister Shalten Hato regarding replacement of the GOA agreement 

Progress updates from several working groups

The unions say they hope Friday’s meeting will finally provide substantive answers on issues that have been delayed for months.